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| View Larger Image | Haunted Cities | Audio CDby Transplants
| List Price: | $13.96 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Audio CD | | Format: | Explicit Lyrics | | Studio: | Atlantic / Wea | | Release Date: | June 21, 2005 | | Sales Rank: | 73,709rd |
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TRACK LISTING |
Disc: 1
- Track 1: Not Today
- Track 2: Apocalypse Now
- Track 3: Gangsters & Thugs
- Track 4: What I Can't Describe
- Track 5: Doomsday
- Track 6: Killafornia
- Track 7: American Guns
- Track 8: Madness
- Track 9: Hit the Fence
- Track 10: Pay any Price
- Track 11: I Want It All
- Track 12: Crash and Burn
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Album Description
"A few years ago, when Tim, Travis and myself were finishing up the first Transplants album, we weren't sure what was going to happen. You wouldn't believe how many people told us that they "don't get it" or that they're "not sure what people will think". To tell you the truth, we didn't really care. But here we are, a few years later, with a new Transplants album-Haunted Cities. I've always had a hard time describing our records, being as though all 3 of us have different backgrounds all 3 of us live different lives, but what I can tell you is that Haunted Cities is unlike anything else. With guest appearances by the Boo-Yaa Tribe, Rakaa from Dilated Peoples, B-Real and Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, people ain't gonna know what hit 'em. And to tell you the truth, we still don't care."-Rob Aston, Transplants Deluxe Edition includes a 6 panel foldout digipak with a 16 page 4 color booklet. |
Amazon.com
Rarely is a side project equal to the member's primary outfit, but the Transplants subvert that long and wisely held opinion. Named because they are indeed musicians transplanted from other bands--Blink 182's skin beater Travis Barker, Rancid's guitarist and singer, Tim Armstrong, and former AFI roadie Rob Aston make up the line-up--but much to their credit they didn't bring much baggage from their rather high profile musical units except maybe just the smallest throwback to mid-career Rancid on the confrontational and rather bleak "American Guns." But that's really a creative blip, instead the band members display a contagious and clubby party ethic, rather like the Stone Roses before the end of Madchester years with a buzzy menacing guitar and some superb Keith Moon-ian drumming underpinning everything. Instead of promoting punk revivalism, "Haunted Cites" is a compendium of what the band members listen to on their off hours, fusing their love of dancehall, metal, Philly soul, reggae and hip-hop into this rhythmically solid and lyrically adventurous follow-up to their standout 2002 debut. Any band that can name check Blackie Lawless in their first song, and then go on to create such luscious vintage soul, sounding like a reincarnated Stylistics on the chillingly beautiful "What I Can't Describe" deserves to be on the express elevator to the top of the charts. And that's even before you take into account their sardonic paean to hedonism on "Gangsters and Thugs," with it's charmingly bone-headed chorus "Gangsters and thugs/Criminals and hoods/Some of my friends sell records/Some of my friends sell drugs." --Jaan Uhelszki |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 57 reviews)
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Grossly underrated! by A. M. Lewis  4 Stars
August 24, 2006
Without a doubt, Haunted Cities is in my opinion one of the most underrated albums of the last 5 years. Now I totally understand that The Transplants are one of those bands with no grey area. Either you love them, or you hate them. For those who hated the first album, I have no doubt that you will feel the same about their sophmore effort. However, if you were a fan of the Transplants debut, I truly feel that this is an album that you can appreciate, given the chance. While Haunted Cities does not supply the amount of classics that their debut did, the album as a whole is better. Aside from the the incredibly dull "What I can't Describe" and the obnoxious "Killafornia", every track is dope. Tim's voice sounds different than it used to, but after a couple of playthroughs you begin to understand and appreciate it. Skinhead Rob has improved (though that is not saying much) and Barker continues to keep your head nodding. If you bought this album and listened to it once, please put it back in. If you've never bought it, give it a shot, and listen with an OPEN MIND. You will not be dissapointed.
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transplanted transplants by ax (uk southampton) 4 Stars
June 02, 2006
(3.5 would have been more fair)
ok. i'll admit it, i loved the 1st transplants cd - it was punk inspiration fused with anger and great hooks - even rob aston, who im not a big fan of, filled the cd with energy and life.
The second cd, haunted cities i do like. i like it. i don't love it. this is because from the punk with subordinate hip-hop music they had, they have reversed it, so its hip-hop with punk extras. I can't be annoyed at the transplants for changing their musical direction, because if no-body did that, then music would be boring (and the transplants are NOT boring.)
here's how i rated each song:
Not Today - 5 / 5 this is probably the best song on the cd, it could have come straight off of the self titled debut, and sounds like it.
Apocalypse Now - 4/5 - predictable chorus, but a rousing, armstrong led song
gangsters & thugs 4/5 - another good song, one of the best on the cd.
what i can't describe - 2/5 - my least favourite song on the cd, its r & b, not even hip hop.
doomsday - 4/5 i really like this song, good chorus
killafornia - 3/5 hip hop - but a good song, i like it infact, but it does NOT fit in with this cd.
American Guns - 5/5 - excellent punk song, great hook with the line "american guns, american guns"
madness - 4.5/5 - excellent song, but made by armstrongs chorus
hit the fence - 3/5 - abrasive rap by aston, armstrongless.
pay any price 4.5/5 - another good song, made by tim armstrong
i want it all 3.5/5 - slowish, not my favourite
crash and burn - 4.5/5 - great hook on the chorus, good song all round
without - what i cant describe & killafornia (notice armstrongs vocal absence from these two songs) this would have been an excellent cd.
hit the fence is this cd's romper stomper, with doomsday the equivalent of california babylon, not today replacing tall cans in the air, gangsters and thugs in for dj dj.
The orignal is the best, but this follow up is good too, andi have listened to it many times, but would be better without What I cant describe, killafornia (which i actually like as a song, but does not fit in with the cd) and i want it all.
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Not half as good as the first by Jeffrey P. Ross (Spangdahlem, Germany)  2 Stars
April 08, 2006
I agree with the majority of reviews I read, this album was a let-down. I really enjoyed the first one. But this album was just... I couldn't get into it I guess. No real flow in the songs. Too many rap cameos. I can listen to it but I always have to put in the old one to redeam my respect for the Transplants.
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Big let down. by Danforth_ (AUS)  3 Stars
March 20, 2006
I absolutely loved their self titled album but what the hell happened with Haunted Cities has left me speechless.
I can't be bothered typing up a huge review. You might like it, you might not. I found it to be pretty hit and miss at the best of times. I'm just glad they broke up before they made anything worse.
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Rolling On by Jimi Hendrix 4 Stars
March 08, 2006
Everybody who's writing those "I was eargerly anticipating the 2nd album, but it's crap etc etc" reviews, forget that EVERYONE when they first heard the Transplants, were slightly nonplussed - admit it. Haunted Cities - Just more innovation & grooves.
...Download it today.....
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